The ebay listing seems to have been taken down because of an "error" whatever that means.

The kit is now listed as "expected" on the Aviation Megastore's website where the provisional price is given as EUR 62.95 including tax. Considering the Zvezda 777 sells for EUR 24.95 including tax the MD-11 is going to have to be pretty special to justify that price tag.

QuoteBruinPrideBand :
63 Euro?? (about $67 for us using the US dollar). For that price I'd rather buy Kurt's kit.

Chris

if available.
Dont know, why the MD-11s and 747s are currently not available, because these types and also the L1011-500 are in the moment without competition. had the luck to get maybe the last 747SP from Kurt before Christmas.

Quotepttaa :
Even for 52 or 55 Euros without tax is twice more the 777....

You're comparing apples to hub caps. EE is not a mainstream manufacturer like Zvezda. The price of one company's kits has no relationship whatsoever to the price of the other's kits.

I think we could work that out for ourselves but it isn't really the point. Most of us have a fixed and finite budget for our modelling and EUR 52 or USD 55 will make a large dent in that budget. For that sort of money it is reasonable to expect a premium product. I'm not familiar with the An-22 so I can't comment on its quality but my own experience with EE kits has not been good and junk is junk whatever the economics of the company which produces it. If the MD-11 turns out to be a masterpiece that's great, I'll dig deep in my pocket and invest in a couple. If it doesn't justify it's price I'll buy Authentic Airliners where high quality is a given.

Incidentally the Aviation Megastore are listing the EE Tristar as "New stock at reduced price" for EUR 37.15 without tax which is roughly USD 39. It's still a lot of money but rather more realistically priced than the MD-11.

I think we could work that out for ourselves but it isn't really the point. Most of us have a fixed and finite budget for our modelling and EUR 52 or USD 55 will make a large dent in that budget. For that sort of money it is reasonable to expect a premium product. I'm not familiar with the An-22 so I can't comment on its quality but my own experience with EE kits has not been good and junk is junk whatever the economics of the company which produces it. If the MD-11 turns out to be a masterpiece that's great, I'll dig deep in my pocket and invest in a couple. If it doesn't justify it's price I'll buy Authentic Airliners where high quality is a given.

Incidentally the Aviation Megastore are listing the EE Tristar as "New stock at reduced price" for EUR 37.15 without tax which is roughly USD 39. It's still a lot of money but rather more realistically priced than the MD-11.

QuoteFlaptrack :
Mikromir is doing Finnair 2x and citybird.
EE does klm. I m still hoping for 26decals, because of better decals and alltogether the price is better. His tristar repack was the better option.

Just received my Eastern-Express boxing of the MD-11 (KLM markings) today.

First impressions are very fine and neat panel line detail, the main parts are cleanly moulded with a tiny amount of flash round some of the smaller detail parts. Main wheels are in halves but appear to be a good representation of the actual wheels. The GE engines have the longer exhaust centre body and show some neat details too. The flap hinges are the oringal shorter type and not the lengthened later version. There's even a flight deck with seats and a nicely moulded instrument panel. The clear part is very clear and seems to capture the window shapes well.

The only negative points I can see on this first look are the lack of raised window strip (the area of the skin that was thicker around the cabin windows) but that can easily be added with very thin plastic card for those who wish and as mentioned the earlier style of flap hinge. The decals are well printed and offer all the registrations and names for the KLM fleet and a choice of silver outlines for the flight deck windows or a solid black version. The sheet also includes upper surface in-spar protective paint coatings (corrogard).

Overall, very nice kit.

And I've just noticed the side of the box shows future releases of JAL (1990's J-bird scheme (grey nose bar)) and Aeroflot (Cargo) colours.

It consists of 4 pieces - 2 long left and right fuselage parts and 2 left and right tail sections. The join is just around the rear most cabin door. The instructions would have you build them separately and then join the front to rear but most of us will sensibly build the right and left full halves (to ensure a flat mating surface) then join these halves in the conventional manner.

On the sprues are little plastic pins that are designed to be used as mounting pins for the tail planes and engines. Quite clever, but those for the engines proved a bit allusive until I checked the edge of the wheels sprue and found them moulded into the runner. I'll try to post a few pictures tomorrow.

The tail planes have very nice sharp trailing edges and have an inset panel to be fitted underneath that helps to avoid overly thick plastic with all the risks of sinkage and such.
Again, I'm impressed by the very neat engraving over the model. It's straight, uniform in depth and really fine.

The most disappointing thing I see in the sprue shots, is that the engines do not have a seamless intake. So, that will be a bit of work. I already have two AA MD-11's and for my next couple that I need, I will be buying from Kurt.

I find cutting off resin pour blocks to be just as much work (if not more) as the few minutes it takes to lightly rub each engine half on a flat piece of sandpaper to ensure a flat mating surface. You may have a much steadier sawing hand than I have. But each to his own.

I think he meant the design of the intakes where the intake lip is in two halves, rather than an uninterrupted ring. No matter how good the fit is, you still have a glue seam down the middle. I agree - it's a 1960s design idea, not a 2017 design idea. Not very thoughtful.

For such cases I've been sanding down the intake to about the point where the NMF leading edge becomes paint then replacing the material that I've removed with a scratch-built styrene piece. It takes a little more work up front but it saves loads of sanding and filling time on the back end.

To clarify, the engine cowlings are split as normal (left and right halves) but the intake ring is a complete circular part, not several pieces.
The design of the cowling can leave a line running down the top and bottom. What I was meaning was the way I deal with this seam is to lightly sand both mating surfaces to achieve as flat a join as possible to reduce this visible seam.

Jeff, the seams of the halves is what I am talking about (as Jennings correctly inferred). Enjoy dealing with that seam to the fan blades! Yes there are many solutions (I prefer brass or plastic tubing), but in 2017, that should not be an issue. Look at the Skyline 737's, Zvezda 787, Revell A350, Minicraft DC-8. Easy to design at the outset.

Yes I understand what you mean but Jennings "seams" (ha!!) to be talking about the style of intake like the Revell A320 or just about any old Airfix airliner. No matter, I do agree there are so many models where the intake has been dealt with correctly like the Daco 737 and Minicraft MD-80. I love the idea of brass but haven't been able to make it work.

Quotepinky coffeeboat :
Yes I understand what you mean but Jennings "seams" (ha!!) to be talking about the style of intake like the Revell A320 or just about any old Airfix airliner. No matter, I do agree there are so many models where the intake has been dealt with correctly like the Daco 737 and Minicraft MD-80. I love the idea of brass but haven't been able to make it work.

Jeff

Actually I was talking about that style and Jennings correctly understood that. Bad design for something done in 2016

Two complete fan cowling halves, left and right, from front to back of the fan cowling, including the lip.

versus...

Two halves, left and right, NOT including the forward intake lip, which is a separate part, molded as a complete ring (no seams), which is glued onto the rear section of the fan cowling, leaving no left/right centerline seam running across the intake lip.

This can be avoided very easily no matter how it is designed. Cut off the forward inlet section of both halves, glue and sand them so you get a perfect seamless ring and merge it with the rest of the engine. Loss of material due to saw cut can be compensated with some styrene sheet and putty. Really no big challenge.

I will pass on this kit. It's 2017 and E.E still sticks to technology of the 80's when nobody cared about the ugly seams in the cowlings staring the observer in the face. The price is ridiculous as well. Overall E.E is substandard quality to much better and afordable Zvezda. For the price they are asking I will dig somewhat deeper in my pockets and give Kurt and Authentic Airliners my money instead for a top-notch Md-11.....

It will be interesting though to see some finished E.E Md-11's and if the price is justified.

There's been plenty of criticism in this thread of how Mikro-Mir designed the kit, disappointment with the price and parts breakdown, and the inevitable comparisons to the Authentic Airliners kit. That's par for the course in this kind of thread, I know.

What I'm interested in is this: Has anyone started building the Mikro-Mir MD-11, and could we please get a build report from someone who has their mitts on one? I really would like an evaluation of this kit on its own merits, and I really would like to see how it builds up. There's been plenty of criticism on this thread but I'd really like to see (and I mean see, if at all possible) more about what you get and how it builds up, and make up my own mind about if I should be delighted or disappointed.

QuoteNX28388 :
There's been plenty of criticism in this thread of how Mikro-Mir designed the kit, disappointment with the price and parts breakdown, and the inevitable comparisons to the Authentic Airliners kit. That's par for the course in this kind of thread, I know.

What I'm interested in is this: Has anyone started building the Mikro-Mir MD-11, and could we please get a build report from someone who has their mitts on one? I really would like an evaluation of this kit on its own merits, and I really would like to see how it builds up. There's been plenty of criticism on this thread but I'd really like to see (and I mean see, if at all possible) more about what you get and how it builds up, and make up my own mind about if I should be delighted or disappointed.

Jodie Peeler

Yes, I concur with your statement. I would like to examine the assembly of this kit and get a better idea what quality of the detail of the different components is like. Since we do not have a wide variety of 1/144 injection-molded MD-11 kits available on the market, I would be curious to know if this kit goes together well or not.

I have one on the way, since before I mentioned my unhappiness with the sprue shot. I plan on starting it pretty quickly. There are 4 MD-11's I want to build. I already own 2 AA kits, and this kit will be checked against them. Knowing there is a price difference, there should still be some good quality in this kit for the price. Hopefully soon, some feedback. I already know I am going to be disappointed with the engines, oh well.

Not the point. The point is, it's drop-dead easy to design a kit so you don't have to do that. That's all the whole thread has been saying.

Yes of course it is easier but hey we are modellers, otherwise we can buy a ready assembled diecast model with no need to glue, sand, sniffing cement. I like the challenge and want to put a huge amount of personality into the model which makes it unique. I think this is what modelling is all about, a perfect out of the box build is nice but a little bit boring as well I think.

Just received the Eastern Express version today and first impressions are very favourable. Interesting to note that on the side of the box are pictures of a P&W-powered JAL 'J-Bird' version and a GE-powered Aeroflot freighter.

QuoteJennings :
They did miss the raised skin belt behind the windows.

Not sure just what that means but I got the same comment on ref to my photos on facebook.

Building the MikroMir now. Cockpit went together nice but just too many parts. Seat arm rests are separate parts and difficult to remove from the trees without damage. The round part that holds the exhaust cone in place is to large, have to sand the diameter down quit a bit, all three of them. Careful,some parts misidentified on the instructions sheet. Just tried to fit nbr 2 engine into tail assembly, engine cowl too long have to sand off 1/16 in for proper fit. Nose wheel assembly 7 parts that have to be glued in place before fuselage halves joined, hate that but no way around it since the fuselage is molded with the nose gear doors closed and the plastic is very very thick.

I have a photo on Facebook that I would post here but I never remember how to post a photo on the forum.

Still have not received mine, and from Steve's initial review, I might just put mine on eBay and try to recoup some money. I will be getting two more additional MD-11's from Kurt to complete my collection. And we had such high hopes.